There are approximately three kinds of input systems for characters, (1) input by keyboard, (2) input by handwriting, and (3) input by voice.
However, in cases where people who have handicapped arms and/or fingers use a computer system with these input methods, there will be several problems, as outlined below:
Input by Keyboard
In the case of input by a keyboard, it is difficult for people who have handicapped arms and/or fingers to press the keys on a keyboard, and substantial training is required to operate the keyboard at a certain level. Moreover, there are limitations in the size of the keyboard due to an alignment of the keys. This is a bottleneck for attempting to produce a small-sized and lightweight input unit.
FIG. 22 is a diagram showing examples of input by a keyboard. To input kanji (Chinese character) using kana-kanji (Japanese syllable-Chinese character) conversion with a keyboard, either kana (using Japanese kana character) keys input or alphabetic keys are generally used.
In FIG. 22A, using kana keys input, converted character "(ha)" will be displayed when "(ha)" key is pressed in an "entering kanji by kana character" mode. While using alphabet keys, the converted character "" will be displayed when the "H" key and "A" key are pressed in an "entering kanji by Romaji (alphabet for spelling out Japanese syllables)" mode.
Next, when a conversion key is pressed, a part of a group of candidate characters for the kana-kanji conversion will be displayed in an item list of a menu, where a cursor will be positioned on the very top menu item of the menu. As shown in FIG. 22B, by pressing the conversion key again, the cursor will move down to the next menu item of the menu.
By repeatedly pressing the conversion key, the cursor moves down to the bottom of the menu and then the rest of the group of candidate characters not previously displayed will be displayed, as shown in FIG. 22C.
Input by Handwriting
In the case of input by handwriting, there are problems as follows: An input unit such as a pen must be available; a high level of software technology is needed to recognize the handwriting; and these factors result in a high cost of production.
On the other hand, the accuracy of recognizing handwriting is not yet sufficient. In order to input characters correctly, the users have to write characters accurately, according to each system. For these reasons, it is difficult, especially for handicapped persons, to use these input systems.
Input by Voice
Input by voice is rather expensive for general users, due to the high cost of development of voice recognition techniques.
Further, since there is a problem in the accuracy of voice recognition, that type of system would not be practical for use at the present time.
The present invention aims to resolve the problems mentioned above, and to provide an inexpensive input processing means of characters that enables a user to input characters into information processing units, such as computers, with easy operation, even for people physically handicapped in their arms and/or fingers.